borrowed, bought, given 2015

i tried cram-reading one more to make it 10 books but at the rate i’m going, i don’t think i’d be able to finish before the year ends. so i figured i might as well do this: my blog’s tradition of signing the year off with a post about books that i have read within the year (very nerdy, i know.) — all of which were bought because gayle’s too far away to borrow (and accidentally lose) books from. and these days, nobody really gives anybody books anymore. which is good in a way because i reckon books are a matter of personal choice.

i remember when my older sister once commented that she found gabriel garcia marquez’s one hundred years of solitude so boring that she didn’t even bother to finish reading it. i was sincerely scandalized. i could feel my already big eyes getting even bigger as i thought, “are you f*cking kidding me?!” (for the record, i read that book about six times.)

but you really can’t hold it against people. you just can’t.

it’s funny how one’s literary preferences is a reflection of where they are in life. girly mentioned that lately, she’s into self-improvement books. something i can relate because i also find myself gravitating towards books which i feel can help me in some areas of my life. books i never would have given second notice 10 years ago. i wasn’t ready then. i had a totally different mindset. not that i’m saying i’m completely mature now but, you know, i can’t deny that i’m getting old-er. i need to make up for lost time.

“…one’s literary preferences is a reflection of where they are in life.” …. Uhhh I have been reading a lot of kids books lately. Hahaha

Of the 9 books you have read, I have read only Tuesdays with Morrie and The Kite Runner. I especially liked The Kite Runner. What did you think of The Secret Life of Bees and The Joy Luck Club? Those two have been sitting at home for years and I haven’t tried reading them. Hehehe.

My best reads for this year are: Have a Little Faith (Mitch Albom) and Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series (Ransom Riggs).

hahahaha. that means you’re regressing then. =p but in your defense, children’s books these days are so advanced. they sometimes use all these big words i’ve never even encountered my whole life!

“the joy luck club” is really good. i’d give it 10 stars. but i’m not sure if you’d like it as much as i do, though, on account that i feel it’s more catered to women? but you can give it a try and see if it unlocks the feminine in you. hehe.

“the secret life of bees” is so-so. nothing spectacular, in my opinion.

miss peregrine’s pecuilar children series? that sounds like something i can get my 6-year old niece to start reading. is it more or less the same as “a series of unfortunate events”? ‘coz i read one book of that series and i really enjoyed it.

Funny. This year I’ve read a lot of those self-help type books I never would have considered reading years ago. You’re right, I think: it does come with age. Maybe we are old enough now to recognise that we need “practical” tips.

i know, right? our concerns have evolved, somehow. maybe we’re at that stage where we’re starting to feel like there’s a potential within us that needs to be unlocked. but in order to do that, we do need all the help that we can get. and that’s where books come in handy.

i haven’t even read “the lord of the rings” yet. mura ko ug ma intimidated sa thickness sa mga books. but i think i have a copy of it somewhere around here which i borrowed from my cousin. i just haven’t gotten around to reading it yet coz i wanna read “the hobbit” first. and for some reason, i still haven’t found a secondhand copy of that book.